Tech Startup Bets On Bulk SMS Services in Kenya

Bulk SMS Services in Kenya: Major global brands around the globe including Facebook, Google, Uber and Twitter rely heavily on SMSs as a communication and marketing tool. Locally, businesses, aided by the growth of ecommerce sector and increased mobile penetration and usage in Kenya, have not been left behind in the bulk SMS marketing frenzy.

According to the Communications Authority of Kenya, the total SMSes sent from local mobile networks stood at 69.6 billion. This makes SMS a powerful marketing tool for businesses. The 5G network is expected to make SMS marketing more effective as links will open fast for clients resulting in more conversion rates.

We caught up with Ian Kibet, the Director of Shara Solutions that has recently launched bulk SMS services targeting small and medium sized businesses to explain how the model works.

QUESTION: What does your company do?

KIBET: Shara Solutions Ltd was founded in 2016 to take advantage of digital technology. We offer innovative business solutions and marketing tools to enable business organizations to run more efficiently and grow. We also develop inhouse software such as order management software, online and offline invoicing systems. We have recently launched an easy-to-use bulk SMS marketing tool for businesses.

Why SMS marketing?

It is in line with our mission of being the best IT Company in Kenya that offers innovative solutions and helps small business organizations grow and achieve their goals. Moreover, SMS is an effective marketing tool that every business should leverage to push their brands. SMS offers reliable and targeted communications. They can be delivered to any mobile phone anywhere at any time. They are cheaper compared to other tools used in business communications.

What unique value proposition do you offer?

Unlike other Bulk SMS APIs in Kenya that require technical knowledge or the help of a developer, Shara SMS software is so simple that even a mama mboga can use it. You simply register by providing your details (name, email, and phone number), business details (name, location, and industry), add your customer’s contacts (you can add one by one or easily import from your phonebook or M-Pesa portal by using our contact importing tool).

We are committed to ensuring that you get the best value thus make your business grow. For that reason, we will assign you a marketing manager to provide you with the setup process, answer all the questions on how to best use Shara SMS and provide expert advice on how to conduct SMS marketing that will drive sales.

What are your charges?

We offer transparent pricing. No need to worry about complicated payment plans as you just pay when you want to use our service. We charge Ksh1 per SMS and you only purchase enough SMS that you need to send. For corporate companies who purchase more than 20,000 SMS, we charge Ksh0.9 per SMS. for Enterprise companies who purchase more than 100,000 SMS, we only charge Ksh0.8 per SMS.

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